October was a busy month at the Long Island School. In addition to our regular curriculum, all students too the NWEA test, and 2-5th grades too the Gates Reading Test. We wrapped up our study of Earth Systems, and will begin learning about Early America, a study that will culminate in a visit to Norlands Living History Museum.
Here are some pictures of us working our way through October.
We wanted to share some scenes from Our first week of school. It is hard to believe we have only been together for a few months! Students have worked hard to follow our new routines, and have settled in nicely. Some highlights: studying, drawing and classifying insects, reading Rohl Dahl, discovering the magic e, Fiction Friday writing, playing with play doh, learning how to find the area of a shape, counting by 5s, learning the word “sphere”, and how it relates to the earth’s changing surface, and shared poetry. Here are some pictures!
We’ve started a new program for most students called Making Words. It’s an interactive, hands on approach to spelling and word manipulation. Kids seem to enjoy it! We have also begun an Autobiography Project in which students will tell their stories through prose, poetry, illustration, lists, and timelines. Be on the lookout for family participation! Here are some images of the week. Another fun part of our curriculum is making healthy snacks to go along with our study of nutrition and wellness. We made toast creatures 🐻🍞
Watson the big, loveabke bull mastiff came to visit our school. Maxine taught us all about his training and care, and how to treat dogs in public. Then, Mrs. Norton’s class read to him and write him letters. 
We have had a glimpse of the promise of spring, but it’s been feeling more like March! The one upside is that the gray weather is less enticing and keeps kids’ minds off playing outside and more in the classroom🤔😜
We are deep into our study of immigration. Make sure you check Friday folders for a family tree page. The kids are enthralled with this study and are making thoughtful connections and asking great questions. We’ve also begun units on The Human Body (3-5) and he Fuve Senses (K-2). Were all studying Health and Nutrition using the 5210 program.
Here are some shots from the week! Enjoy!
We had a great visit from the Lewiston High School Junior ROTC. They taught us about the importance of Honesty, Integrity, and Excellence. After we learned about what it means to be a cadet, we played team building games, learned how to fold a flag, had snack together, and listened to a presentation on inclusion. Here are some pictures from the day.
We read Rechenka’s Eggs by Patricia Polacco. It’s the story of a Russian woman who paints eggs for a festival each year. It’s a simple story of miracles, folk art, and the bond between humans and animals. We responded in small groups, independently, through words, pictures, and art. We even dyed Ukrainian Eggs. 
Learning about ❤️health, helmet safety, being a good friend, and good hand washing technique!
Lunch and poetry outside!
A few more shots from the week
It felt like this was the first uninterrupted week we’ve had in a long time, and we got so much done !
Mrs. Norton’s class continued their Fairy Tale unity, and some of Mrs. Trains class worked their way through the Chocolate Touch. Another reading group began The Chalk Box Kid, a book that is part of a collection that Mrs. Powers borrowed for us from Falmouth. Everybody is making such progress, from close reading and responding to decoding.
In science, we’ve been exploring the vast size of the universe, as well as thinking about stars and how they are born, die and how they are classified and used to study Space.
We also checked on our kelp line and began a study of sap collection to see how the weather affects the flow production. So much science!
Writing has been a joy this week: we used the results from the score prompts last week to create mini lessons in areas that the kids need more work with. This week we covered crafting an interesting opening, and began using figurative language (so far we worked with hyperbole, and touched on simile. Next week will be all about the metaphors and similes).
Enjoy seeing your kids in action!
It was a lovely first week back after vacation. Kids seemed rested, rejuvenated and ready to learn! We are continuing our studies of Space by learning about the day and night sky. Students love exploring the constellations and making their interactive notebooks. We had a scored writing prompt on Wednesday, and our preliminary readings show growth from the Fall. Some of the students are re reading The Chocolate Touch, others are working on reading short stories and responding in writing and conversationally, while others are beginning a unit on Fairy Tales. Various math topics included fractions, numbers and place value to one hundred thousand, base ten blocks, and money. We are busy as usual.
Making puppets and story boards for The Little Red Hen
Reading , reading, reading
Math
Science
Legolas robotics and other fun stuff!
Long Island School 